A couple of recent examples of the master’s inimitable way with words.
First, from his May 21 column:
“Call it the triple deficit,†said Mr. Rothkopf. “A fiscal deficit that will soon have us choosing between rationed health care, sufficient education, adequate infrastructure and traditional levels of defense spending, a trade deficit that has us borrowing from our rivals to the point of real vulnerability, and a geopolitical deficit that is a legacy of Iraq, which may result in hesitancy to take strong stands where we must.â€
The first rule of holes is when you’re in one, stop digging. When you’re in three, bring a lot of shovels.
Wow.
Okay, so if I’m in a hole, I should stop digging, but if I’m in three, I should have lots of shovels so I can — stop digging? dig simultaenously? jump from hole to hole? how can I be in three holes at the same time anyway?
Damn you Thomas Friedman and your mindbending extradimensional metaphysical metaphors! You’re making my brain hurt!
(Also: who even knew there were rules of holes? If that’s the first, what are the others? Are there penalties for noncompliance?)
And then there’s this, from May 18:
I don’t doubt for a second President Bush’s gut support for Israel, and I think it comes from his gut.
You see, his gut support comes from …
Oh, never mind. That one doesn’t really need elaboration.
It’s no wonder Thomas Friedman is a highly respected pundit, and you are not.
(Bonus related cartoon here.)